1. Technical Field
This invention is directed generally to beverage basket carriers of the type used primarily for holding beverage bottles of beer, soda, wine coolers and certain other nonbeverage specialty goods. The invention is more particularly directed to such a beverage basket carrier formed from two separate blanks including a primary blank including the exterior printed surfaces of the carrier and a secondary blank including a portion of the central divider wall and all of the cell walls extended between the divider wall and the front and back walls. The invention is further directed to the method of fabricating such carrier wherein the secondary blank is tipped into the primary blank in a straight line gluing unit for increased production rates.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Beverage basket carriers are well known as containers for bottled beer, wine coolers and soda. Such carriers were more commonplace in the era when beverages were sold in returnable bottles. The carriers were printed, cut and folded, then shipped to either bottlers or glass manufacturers or various converter suppliers. The fabrication of such carriers was extremely slow compared to other carton manufacturing due to the inherent complex gluing requirements.
Basket carriers are folded and bonded using a right-angle gluing unit. When this gluing unit is also used to run other business requiring changeover, speed will vary but in general a maximum production rate of five thousand or six thousand carriers per hour is typical. If a right-angle gluer is dedicated and welded into place to only run basket carrier packaging, some converters can run this package as high as approximately twelve thousand carriers per hour but the gluer is then rendered inoperative for anything other than the basket carriers.
Graser U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,22 and Graser U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,294 both disclose a two-piece beverage carrier wherein an insert comprises the handle, longitudinal divider wall and transverse divider walls adapted to be connected by tabs and adhesive within either a wrap-around shell or a basket style shell. In the noncollapsible basket style shell illustrated if FIG. 1 thereof, printed surfaces are included on both the insert and the outer shell, thereby requiring that both pieces be run through a printer. In the wrap-around carrier of FIG. 9 thereof, it appears that the printed surfaces could be restricted to the shell but since the overall basket carrier is not collapsible, bottle fillers would have to alter their filling equipment to accommodate this carrier.
Wilson U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,748 shows a basket carrier with a separate blank provided for the transverse divider walls on only one half of the basket carrier. The blanks could be arranged only four-across on conventional flat stock material and right angle processing would be required to make the folds.
Accordingly, a primary object of the invention is to provide an improved beverage basket carrier and method of constructing it, which carrier is capable of assembly at substantially increased production rates and at reduced material costs.
Another object of the invention is to provide a beverage basket carrier and method of constructing it wherein the carrier is adapted to be formed on a straight line gluing unit with the greatly increased production rates over those possible with a right-angle gluing unit.
Another object of the invention is to provide a beverage basket carrier and method of constructing it wherein two separate blanks are used, one including all printed surfaces and being of a reduced size compared to conventional one piece blanks so that it can be arranged six across on standard sheet stock for an approximate fifty percent increase in production even before considering increasing the production speed.
Another object of the invention is to provide a beverage basket carrier and method of constructing it which enables a secondary blank of internal nonprinted walls to be a uniform insert for carriers having different print on the exterior thereof and optionally of a lower grade more economical material than that of the primary blank.
Another object of the invention is to provide a beverage basket carrier and method of constructing it which is operative to turn out carriers of similar specifications to conventional carriers so that bottle fillers need not alter their equipment to accommodate the carriers of the invention.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved beverage basket carrier which is simple and rugged in construction, economical to manufacture and efficient in operation.